BOSTON (Reuters) – Diversified manufacturer Honeywell International Inc <HON.N> set a first-quarter profit target that fell short of analysts’ forecasts, sending its shares down more than 2 percent.

The forecast overshadowed fourth-quarter results that were slightly stronger than Wall Street had looked for and raised concerns among some investors about the full-year prospects for the company, the world’s largest maker of cockpit electronics.

“We should all be cautious about the year ahead of us, particularly the first half,” Chief Executive Dave Cote told investors on a conference call on Friday. “We are, as usual, planning conservatively in 2010, with modest organic sales growth.”

The Morris Township, New Jersey-based company stood by its full-year profit forecast, saying that the low first-quarter figure reflected seasonal patterns and a potential one-time charge the company said could result from the health insurance reform bills wending their way through Congress.

BOSTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) – Diversified U.S. manufacturer Honeywell International Inc <HON.N> set a first-quarter profit target that fell short of analysts’ forecasts, sending its shares down more than 2 percent.

The forecast overshadowed fourth-quarter results that were slightly stronger than Wall Street had looked for and raised concerns among some investors about the full-year prospects for the company, the world’s largest maker of cockpit electronics.

“We should all be cautious about the year ahead of us, particularly the first half,” Chief Executive Dave Cote told investors on a conference call on Friday. “We are, as usual, planning conservatively in 2010, with modest organic sales growth.”

The Morris Township, New Jersey-based company stood by its full-year profit forecast, saying that the low first-quarter figure reflected seasonal patterns and a potential one-time charge the company said could result from the health insurance reform bills wending their way through Congress.

BOSTON, Jan 28 (Reuters) – Textron Inc <TXT.N> reported a net loss for the fourth quarter and set a 2010 profit target that fell well below Wall Street’s expectations, signaling that demand for corporate jets would remain weak.

The world’s largest maker of business aircraft said on Thursday that sales would fall again at Cessna and warned that unit would likely post a first-quarter operating loss, with shipments unlikely to pick up until later in the year.

The company said its finance arm — which it is scaling back to focus on lending money to support the sale of Textron products, which also include Bell helicopters, military vehicles and EZ-Go golf carts — could report a $250 million operating loss for the year.

The diversified U.S. manufacturer expects a 2010 profit of 30 cents to 50 cents per share, excluding 6 cents per share of special charges for a Cessna restructuring, on about $10.8 billion in revenue.

BOSTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) – Several big U.S. industrial companies reported better-than-expected profits on Wednesday, as last year’s hefty cost-cutting programs began to pay off and demand for some heavy equipment showed signs of recovering.

But the initial 2010 outlooks provided by some of the companies, including Caterpillar Inc and Illinois Tool Works Inc, fell short of the hopes that many investors had factored into their stock prices, sending their shares lower in early trading.

The unexpectedly guarded view from Caterpillar, a closely WATCHED bellwether and component of the Dow Jones industrial average, helped pull the lower market lower.

Caterpillar said it now expects to report a profit of $2.50 a share on sales of $35.6 billion to $40.5 billion as the rebound from the recent global downturn favors some of its markets and products over others.

BOSTON (Reuters) – Trust in business worldwide rebounded modestly last year, after plummeting in the face of a severe recession, but informed adults believe companies will revert to their old ways as memory of the downturn fades.

Fifty-four percent of adults told the Edelman Trust Barometer that they trusted business last year, up from 50 percent in 2008, according to survey results released on Tuesday. Corporations’ public image improved most sharply in the United States and Italy, while it fell in Russia.

But after a credit crisis that shook the world economy and led big financial institutions including Bank of America Corp and Citigroup Inc to turn to Washington for financial help, trust in banks fell dramatically.

In the United States, just 29 percent of survey respondents said they trusted banks, less than the 68 percent who did in 2006. People in the United Kingdom, Germany and France also reported sharp, albeit less dramatic, declines in trust.

BOSTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) – Trust in business worldwide rebounded modestly last year, after plummeting in the face of a severe recession, but informed adults believe companies will revert to their old ways as memory of the downturn fades.

Fifty-four percent of adults told the Edelman Trust Barometer that they trusted business last year, up from 50 percent in 2008, according to survey results released on Tuesday. Corporations’ public image improved most sharply in the United States and Italy, while it fell in Russia.

But after a credit crisis that shook the world economy and led big financial institutions including Bank of America Corp <BAC.N> and Citigroup Inc <C.N> to turn to Washington for financial help, trust in banks fell dramatically.

In the United States, just 29 percent of survey respondents said they trusted banks, less than the 68 percent who did in 2006. People in the United Kingdom, Germany and France also reported sharp, albeit less dramatic, declines in trust.

BOSTON (Reuters) – General Electric Co posted quarterly earnings that topped Wall Street expectations as it kept costs in line despite sluggish demand for jet engines, railroad locomotives and other heavy equipment.

The results, reported Friday, showed the largest U.S. conglomerate’s efforts to stabilize itself after two brutal years seemed to be paying off, investors said. GE shares rose 3.25 percent.

Profit fell 19 percent from a year earlier, GE’s eighth straight quarter of profit decline, but Chief Executive Jeff Immelt said the company is on track for flat earnings this year.

“They exceeded expectations on both the top line and the bottom line, which is a positive,” said Perry Adams, senior portfolio manager at Huntington Private Financial Group in Traverse City, Michigan. “Orders came in strong, grew sequentially from third quarter, and the backlog improved slightly from the third quarter.”

BOSTON (Reuters) – “Spend it on us,” General Electric’s shareholders say.

The industrial and financial powerhouse expects to have roughly $25 billion of cash on hand at the end of 2010, and investors want at least some of it paid out as dividends or used to buy back shares.

GE officials said their first priority will be increasing the company’s dividend — which it slashed by 68 percent in February 2009 — as well as buying back shares or making small acquisitions.

“We always look at bolt-on acquisitions in infrastructure. We think they will be available,” Chief Executive Jeff Immelt told investors on a conference call. “We will be very opportunistic on the buyback and look at where the share price is … And then I think we really see the ability to grow the dividend in line with earnings by 2011.”

BOSTON, Jan 22 (Reuters) – “Spend it on us,” General Electric’s <GE.N> shareholders say.

The industrial and financial powerhouse expects to have roughly $25 billion of cash on hand at the end of 2010, and investors want at least some of it paid out as dividends or used to buy back shares.

GE officials said their first priority will be increasing the company’s dividend — which it slashed by 68 percent in February 2009 — as well as buying back shares or making small acquisitions.

“We always look at bolt-on acquisitions in infrastructure. We think they will be available,” Chief Executive Jeff Immelt told investors on a conference call. “We will be very opportunistic on the buyback and look at where the share price is … And then I think we really see the ability to grow the dividend in line with earnings by 2011.”

BOSTON, Jan 22 (Reuters) – General Electric Co <GE.N> posted quarterly earnings that topped Wall Street expectations as it kept costs in line despite sluggish demand for jet engines, railroad locomotives and other heavy equipment.

The results, reported Friday, showed the largest U.S. conglomerate’s efforts to stabilize itself after two brutal years seemed to be paying off, investors said. GE shares rose 3.25 percent.

Profit fell 19 percent from a year earlier, GE’s eighth straight quarter of profit decline, but Chief Executive Jeff Immelt said the company is on track for flat earnings this year.

“They exceeded expectations on both the top line and the bottom line, which is a positive,” said Perry Adams, senior portfolio manager at Huntington Private Financial Group in Traverse City, Michigan. “Orders came in strong, grew sequentially from third quarter, and the backlog improved slightly from the third quarter.”